MEANING IN LIFE AND ECO-ANXIETY AS FACTORS OF SOCIAL ISOLATION AMONG ADOLESCENTS LIVING WITH HIV

Abstract

Among adolescents; HIV has been linked with a lot of worries regarding who they are. These negative associations can be internalized, and for the adolescent who is struggling to work out who they are; the negative social responses to HIV can lead to profound negative experiences of self-stigma. Therefore, this research investigated the relationship between meaning in life and eco-anxiety as factors of social isolation among adolescents living with HIV. A total of two hundred (200) adolescents (male 60, 30%) and female (140 , 70%),participated in the study with their ages ranging from 10-19. They were selected from two Health facilities in Nsukka urban of Enugu State. The participants were evaluated using; The Meaning in Life Scale (MLQ), Hogg Eco-Anxiety Scale (HEAS) and UCLA Social Isolation Scale. The study employed a cross-sectional research design, and Hayes PROCESS Macro was used to analyze the data. The result of Hierarchical multiple linear regressions showed that presence of meaning in life was a significant negative predictor of social association (? = -.28, p<.01); search for meaning in life was a significant positive predictor of social isolation (? = .21, p<.01); while eco-anxiety was a significant negative predictor of social isolation (? = -.23, p<.01) among adolescents living with HIV. This study emphasizes the importance of multi-dimensional interventions that not only address the intrinsic quest for meaning, but also recognizes external concerns like eco-anxiety as potential areas for fostering connection and reducing isolation among HIV positive adolescents. Keywords: Adolescents, eco-anxiety, social isolation, meaning in life.